TORONTO - Major North American stock markets pushed higher Wednesday, with the Dow Jones and S&P 500 hitting all-time records, as anticipation continued to build over the corporate policies of incoming U.S.

The S&P 500 index SPX, +0.22% finished up 4.84 points, or 0.2%, at a record 2,246.19. The broad-market inde reaching an intraday record of 2,251.69, with eight of the S&P 500's 11 sectors trading in positive territory, led by gains in financials and ...

The mid-afternoon surge in U.S. stocks came as futures on the S&P 500 Index notched their highest single-minute volume of the day, with almost five times as many contracts changing hands than any other point on Wednesday.

Technically speaking, the S&P 500 has truly taken fight, knifing to all-time highs from major support. Moreover, the late-year rally gets high marks for style, fueled by incrementally broadening sector participation.

The most typical prediction among leading banks for the S&P 500 SPX, +0.22% is based on two hard assumptions: projected earnings for the next year and what multiple investors are likely to pay for those earnings.